An Air Force T-38C Talon training aircraft crashed Wednesday at about 12:30 p.m. on Columbus AFB, Miss., killing two pilots aboard, according to a USAF release. Names of the pilots were being withheld pending notification of next of kin. According to report from WCBI-TV in Columbus, witnesses saw smoke rising from the base. The station also reported that other training aircraft aloft at the time were diverted to a nearby civilian airport.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
